"Keptain, sensors indicate the USS Gallant running at
course three twenty mark 4." Chekov said.
"The Gallant is one of the evacuation vessels." Spock
said. "That heading indicates she has come from
Starbase 18 on a similar course to the Lady Grace."
"Hail them." Kirk said. "Maybe they have more
information."
"Hailing frequencies open, sir." Uhura said. "There's
no response."
"Is their communications array malfunctioning?" Kirk
asked.
"Negative, captain." Spock said. "As far as our
sensors are able to detect their communications are
in order."
"This is Captain James T Kirk of the USS Enterprise."
Kirk said. "USS Gallant, do you require assistance?
Send that, Uhura, all frequencies."
"Sending." Uhura said.
"She's changing course, Keptain." Chekov said.
"Coming around to two ninety mark 4. No, two eighty
five. That puts her on an intercept, sair, at one
quarter impulse."
"Drop us back to impulse, Mr Sulu, and change course
to run alongside her."
"Aye, sir."
"Gallant is changing course again, sair. Two seventy
eight, intercept course again."
"Mr Sulu." Kirk said.
"Aye, sir. Bearing one ten mark 7, coming up beneath
her."
"Gallant has changed course again." Chekov said.
"Sair, they must have us on sensors now! She's
running on two seventy four."
"She has us on sensors." Kirk said. "That's too many
course corrections to be coincidence. Spock?"
"Sensors indicate no malfunctions in the Gallant's
systems." Spock said.
"Sir," Uhura said, "I'm not picking up anything from
her comms. I should be getting something from her -
a subspace echo if the array was down. There's no
bounceback - they're receiving our signal .They must
have the array set wide open to catch the full
spectrum of subspace waves and absorb them, muffle
any reflection."
"Running silent." Kirk said. "Aren't they?"
"Yes, sir, they must be." Uhura said. "It's an old
trick, but one that still works if there's no-one
nearby with high-range passive sensors."
"Intercept in two minutes." Chekov said.
"Suggestions?" Kirk said.
"Captain, there is no logical reason for the Gallant
to be running silent on an intercept course." Spock
said.
"Exactly." Kirk said. "Shields up, Mr Chekov.
That's the behaviour of a ship on an attack run. Red
Alert. Uhura, all call."
"Aye, sir."
"All hands, this is the captain. Battle stations,
all decks, all stations. Kirk out." Kirk said.
"Their veapons systems just went live." Chekov said.
"Phasers are charged, they have loaded photon
torpedoes."
"We have to assume there are refugees on that ship."
Kirk said. "Not to mention Starfleet personnel who
seem to have taken complete leave of their senses.
Target shield generators and weapons arrays only, Mr
Chekov."
"Aye, sair."
"Evasive manoeuvres, Mr Sulu. Try to keep us moving
towards the Lady Grace."
"Aye, sir."
"They're firing." Chekov said.
"Hits on the forward and starboard shields." Spock
reported. "Shields holding at ninety percent."
"Uhura, any response at all?" Kirk asked.
"No, sir."
"Send: This is Captain Kirk of the USS Enterprise.
We are a Federation vessel and are not hostile.
Cease your fire. We are responding to a distress
call. Do not hinder us in this emergency. We will
take any further hostile action on your part as an
attack and respond accordingly."
"They're trying for a veapons lock, sair." Chekov
said. "Firing again."
"Direct hit to the starboard shields, shields down to
seventy percent." Spock said.
"Fire at your targets when ready, Mr Chekov." Kirk
said. "Time to the Grace?"
"Twelve minutes." Spock said.
"Emergency teams, report to the transporter room."
Kirk said.
"Firing." Chekov said.
"Hits to the Gallant's forward and port shields. Port
shields down to forty percent."
"Get me another shot at those, Hikaru." Chekov said.
"I'm trying." Sulu said. The sheen of sweat on his
face was the only indication of the difficulty of his
task as he sent the Enterprise tumbling forward in a
long roll, the stars swinging crazily across the
viewscreen. The bright spurts of photon torpedoes
detonating short of their target flicked past as
Sulu's evasive manoeuvres disrupted the Gallant's
targeting lock and then the viewscreen showed the
Gallant as Sulu brought the Enterprise up on a nose-
to-nose heading straight at her . The Gallant's
shields flared up from red through orange to yellow
as Chekov took advantage of the opening Sulu provided
with unerring aim and lighting reflexes.
Kirk waited for the Gallant to pull out of her head-
on collision course as Sulu hurled the Enterprise
straight at her, Chekov meanwhile flinging the entire
contents of the Enterprise's armoury in a rain of
destruction tightly targeted on the Gallant's shield
generators and weapons arrays.
"Fifteen thousand kilometres." Spock said. One of
the Gallant's shields flared and died. Phaser fire
from the Enterprise ripped through the gap and two of
the Gallant's photon torpedo launchers stopped
firing. "Ten thousand kilometres. Eight thousand.
Seven."
~My god, how fine are they going to cut it?~ Kirk
wondered. Eight thousand kilometres was the closest
helm control would allow two ships to get to each
other, unless the helm did as Sulu had done and
disengaged the safety cutouts to fly by manual
control alone: seat-of-the-pants piloting, it was
called in Starfleet, and prevailing opinion held that
any pilot who tried it with a starship in combat
needed immediate psychiatric evaluation. That went
for the captain who'd permitted it, as well. Kirk
didn't think it was crazy to let the best helm in the
Fleet use *all* his abilities and not just the ones
that didn't upset the computer, but the Gallant's
captain had clearly allowed the same thing on the
other ship. And the Gallant was *not* being piloted
by Hikaru Sulu.
"Five thousand kilometres." Spock said. "Four."
~Sulu, pull up!~ Kirk had to bite hard on his lower
lip to keep from giving the command. He trusted
Sulu's judgement and his skill and the helmsman
didn't need a backseat driver distracting him from
the split second calculations and relentless dead-
reckoning that enabled him to send the Enterprise
hurtling on such precise headings at such lethal
velocities. Still, it was never a comfortable
experience for Kirk. It was an unusual feeling being
helpless on the bridge of his ship, and one which he
found intensely unpleasant.
Seconds later the starfield on the viewer wheeled
crazily again and Kirk felt his hair and uniform
float a little as the ship's gravity fluctuated in
response to the increased demands on intertial
dampners. Alarms went off and Uhura silenced them
even as Kirk turned to give the order. The comm
squawked.
"Captain, what are ye playin' at up there?" Scotty
demanded.
"Sorry, Mr Scott." Sulu called as Kirk chuckled.
"Aye, if ye'll be letting that lad throw the ship
around like a child's toy ye'll hae to expect a few
alarms, sir." Scotty said. "Engineering out."
"They're coming around again!" Chekov said. "Heading
one sewen nine mark 3! They didn't flinch on that
last pass, Keptain. If ve hadn't turned, they vould
have run right in to us."
"Keep your distance, Mr Sulu." Kirk said. "I don't
see anything to gain by playing chicken with them."
"Aye, sir." Sulu said.
"They have no weapons or shield capability remaining,
sir." Spock said.
"Gallant has changed course again." Chekov said.
"Ewery course change ve make, she follows."
"Sulu, get us to the Lady Grace. They're in a
desperate situation and we don't have time to wast
playing hide and go boom with the Gallant."
"Yes, sir." Sulu's fingers tapped over the controls.
"Chekov, if you can take out their engines without
damaging life-support or destroying the ship, do it."
"Aye, sair." Chekov didn't need to tell Kirk how
difficult that would be. With the Gallant's shield's
down, the gunner could land fire wherever and
whenever he wanted, proved the helm placed the ship
in a position that made the firepath possible.
However, the propulsion systems were so close to the
warp core and generators, and the power used by and
available to them was so virulent, that it was almost
impossible to deliberately disable a ship's impulse
and warp drives without endangering the structural
integrity of the hull.
"Captain," Sulu said, "if we take the Grace under tow
our manoeuvrability will be reduced. I won't be able
to keep us clear of the Gallant."
"Understood." Kirk said. "We'll get the emergency
teams over there and then concentrate on disabling
the Gallant. I don't know what's going on over there
but if we have to, we'll board them and find out."
He touched the comm. "Transporter room."
"This is the transporter room, sir." Kyle's voice
came over the comm.
"Stand by to beam the emergency teams over as soon as
we're in range." Kirk said.
"Aye, sir."
"Sensor readings available on the Grace." Spock said.
"They have atmospheric pressure but considerable
atmospheric contamination. Power is low. The warp
core is intact and appears fully functional but
systems across the board are running at minimum or
not at all."
"Failure in the relays, then."
"Indeed." Spock said. "I recommend evacuation to the
Enterprise rather than any attempt to repair the
damage in situ."
"Noted." Kirk said. "We'll have to try to stabilise
their systems long enough to deal with the Gallant,
though. Sulu, you have to shake them enough to give
us the time we need to get the teams over there."
"Aye, sir." Sulu said. "May I make a recommendation,
sir?"
"Of course." Kirk said.
"Sir, I recommend you hold on." Sulu said with a
broad smile.